One More Time
by Cherri Snow
Summary: Kazunari disappeared without a word after graduation and Shintarou had no option but to keep going alone. Five years later they met again. Is this the chance Shintarou had been waiting for to clear things up? Future AU with doctor!Shintarou and musician!Kazunari.


**One More Time**

A week after graduation passed and Shintarou had yet to hear a single word of contact from Kazunari. He would deny missing him, if asked, but his constant glances at his phone and irritable (well, _more_ irritable) mood easily gave him away. He dismissed his thoughts of the sharp-eyed man with the fabricated excuse that he may just been busy with work; he did mention taking over the family business, after all.

After two weeks Shintarou decided that work was not a likely reason. Curiosity and frustration getting to the best of him, he tried calling his ex-teammate only to hear an automated message telling him that the number was no longer in service.

Three days later Shintarou gathered the courage to go to his house to find out what the _hell _was going on. Kazunari's mother answered the door and when asked about her son's whereabouts she only responded, "He moved out right after graduating. Didn't he tell you?"

_No,_ Shintarou thought as he thanked her for her time and stalked away. _No, he didn't._

Shintarou knew he shouldn't have been as upset as he was, but he couldn't suppress the blackness that rose up, weighing his heart down and constricting his throat. They didn't make any promises saying that they would keep in touch after graduation because he thought it was obvious. He hadn't even _considered _them parting ways. Kazunari had wormed himself into Shintarou's life so deeply that the former MiraGen member viewed him as a permanent and natural part of him.

And that was what frustrated him the most: the fact that he lowered his guard to let Kazunari into his carefully built fortress, and the fact that he had trusted him with the power to send him hopelessly falling to his knees.

He had long since admitted to himself that he fell for his basketball partner and best friend and firmly decided that there was no way he would make his feelings known. Their friendship – his _only _friendship – was far too precious for him to ruin it with his not-so-platonic feelings. If it meant they would continue to stay together, he would gladly keep his feelings hidden – no matter how painful or difficult it proved to be.

So _why _did Kazunari abandon him without a word even though he sacrificed his feelings to prevent this very situation? Was this a declaration that they were no longer connected now that their basketball days were over? Was Kazunari glad to have an excuse to be rid of him?

Before Shintarou knew it, a loud downpour had evolved from the few raindrops that he ignored. Despite being completely soaked in less than minutes, he continued walking aimlessly. His eyes burned and he could not tell if he was crying or if it was the rain that wetted his cheeks.

* * *

"Cancers have the best luck today! Good for you! Your lucky item for is an orange headband. Don't forget it!"

Shintarou frowned at the television. Although he was pleased to hear that he had the best luck for the day, the issue lied with his designated lucky item. Hairbands naturally made Shintarou think of the man who betrayed his trust five years ago. Furthermore, orange was a color he attributed with said man.

Of course, after such a long time of not so much as hearing his name, Shintarou's pain of having a significant part of him ripped away had dulled to an unpleasant (and slightly suffocating) memory that struck mostly on rainy days or whenever he was reminded of him. It was why he completely distanced himself from basketball, going as far as walking the long way home to avoid passing by the basketball court even though it took an extra twenty minutes

The headband would definitely remind Shintarou of him all day, and so he decided to go without his lucky item just for one day. _I have the best luck today, anyway. That should make up for it._

Eight hours later when he got off of his shift and was on his way home, he found that it did _not _make up for it.

Endless rain appeared out of literally nowhere and, thanks to the clearly inaccurate weather forecast, he had left his umbrella at the hospital. He could feel the cold invading his body, seeping through his clothes and immediately knew that he would catch a cold if he didn't get under cover and dry off quickly.

Shintarou hurried into a nearby bar, an underground building that doubled as a cheap music venue. As he walked down the poster-littered hall he heard the music of a barely decent rock band grow louder. Entering the large, open room, he didn't hesitate to walk straight to the bar counter, weaving through the unusually large crowd.

"Whoa, Shintarou. You're soaked," the bartender – someone who had come to call a friend, at best, after his numerous visits – lifted an amused eyebrow at him.

"Tell me something I don't know." Shintarou sighed. "Can I get a towel and a change of clothes?"

"Yeah. Here." A towel and set of clothes materialized from under the bar as if already prepared. Now it was Shintarou's turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"I had a feeling you would be coming in today," he explains with a casual wave of a hand. "Anyway, hurry up and get changed before you catch a cold. I'll make you some coffee to warm you up."

"Thanks," Shintarou mumbled as he grabbed the towel and clothes then made his way back into the hall to find the restroom.

Once adequately dried off and dressed, Shintarou walked back to the bar. As soon as he sat in one of the empty seats the bartender set a mug of coffee in front of him. Shintarou murmured another "thank you" before accepting it and taking a careful sip. Immediately, warmth spread throughout his body and he sighed gratefully at the pleasant sensation.

"And you're just in time for the next band." Shintarou grimaced. "Oh, don't give me that look. They're actually pretty good. They play here somewhat regularly so they've built up quite a fan club. This big crowd is here for them, as a matter of fact."

Shintarou scoffed but turned in his stool anyway, curious. When he saw who was on stage he nearly choked on his coffee.

There stood his ex-teammate, former best friend, and unforgettable first (and only) love: Takao Kazunari. His hair had grown longer and his face sharper, but he was still unmistakably him.

"Wow. What a crowd," Kazunari said upon snatching the microphone from the stand. "Whether you're here to listen to us or you're taking shelter from the rain outside, thanks for coming!"

The crowd roared in response and his wide grin Shintarou remembered so well stretched across his face.

"Alright! For those of you who don't know us, we're Fate's Eye and we're here for your entertainment!" Kazunari's eyes scanned around the crowd until it finally stopped on Shintarou. Shintarou saw the sheer surprise in his expression, his blue eyes widening for a brief moment before being snapped back to attention by the loud audience. "Here's our first song, "One More Time," and I dedicate this to my special someone, who is here with us tonight!"

Without missing a beat, the band begun to play but Shintarou could no longer hear anything, Kazunari's words echoing deafeningly in his ears.

_His... special someone... So he has someone now..._ Shintarou sank in his seat and looked down into his coffee where he could see his reflection distorted by the ripples. _Of course he does. It's been five years. There's no reason he _wouldn't_ have someone. And it's not like I ever had a claim on him._

Shintarou was only tugged out of his thoughts when the sudden applause indicated the end of the band's performance. Kazunari walked off stage and was immediately flocked by people to the point Shintarou could no longer see him.

Shintarou quickly realized he had two options. One: he could take the chance and leave now while he's occupied and he will go on continuing life as is, acting as if this event never happened. Or two: he could take the chance given to him by fate and settle the loose ends once and for all.

_Or at least I like the idea that I have more than one option_, he thought with a heavy sigh.

Shintarou waited until the swarm around Kazunari thinned to the point that only a few fans remained to chat. Deciding that it was as good time as any, he strode his way across the room, head held high. Kazunari noticed him coming the moment he stood and excused himself to step aside so his other band members could continue their conversation with the fans without disruption.

"Yo, Shin-chan. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kazunari greeted him with a forced smile.

"It has." Shintarou's expression and tone were cold and indifferent, careful to mask the violent emotions thrashing inside of him. "I'm glad to see you're doing well." The words "without me" were left unspoken, but both heard them clearly.

"Shin-chan, can we talk?" Kazunari's face crumbled into desperation, as if he could no longer hold up his casual facade.

"That was my intention." Shintarou nodded and followed him into the dressing room backstage. When the door closed behind them, all noise from outside was cut off abruptly, leaving them in an awkward silence.

Shintarou was the first to break the ice. "What happened?"

"As expected of Shin-chan. Straight to the point." Kazunari laughed, and it was a pained sound. "As I'm sure you guessed, I wanted to make space between us."

Shintarou scoffed bitterly. "Space? I would call that an understatement."

Kazunari winced and bit his lip. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"Are you going to tell me why you did that or should I list off the reasons I came up with in the five years I was left hanging?" Shintarou knew he was being unnecessarily harsh, but he couldn't help but release a portion of the frustration he built up over the years.

Kazunari hesitated before saying, "There were a few reasons, actually. For one, I felt that I was no longer needed. My Hawk Eye serves you no purpose outside of basketball and your university couldn't be reached by rickshaw, neither were our schedules appropriate for it."

"A ridiculous reason. I'm rather insulted that you thought I only saw you as a tool of convenience."

Kazunari swallowed and continued, "And then there was also that I was intimidated by you."

"How?"

"Well, you were going off to become a doctor and save lives, and then here I am as an amateur musician living off of tips and part-time jobs." Kazunari scratched at the back of his neck.

"Once again, ridiculous," Shintarou dismissed. "Were those really your reasons?"

"Y-yeah..." Kazunari slowly nodded, looking down at the stained floorboards.

Shintarou barked a laugh and Kazunari's head snapped up in confusion. "And here I was thinking you had gotten bored of me. That you finally had an excuse to get rid of me. That my role as your basketball partner was over so I was unneeded. I feel so foolish for getting so depressed over a reason as ridiculous as that."

"What the hell... You got depressed over me?" Kazunari shook his head and laughed weakly. "That makes you sound like you were in love with me! Just kid-"

"I was." Shintarou's expression turned serious and Kazunari could only stare speechlessly. "That was another reason I came up with. That you found out about my feelings somehow and were disgusted by it. But I suppose now you know so-"

"What about now? Do you still love me?" Kazunari interrupted.

"I- Err... Y-yes, I do..." Shintarou's face flushed to a deep red.

Without warning, Kazunari threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. Shintarou's hands unconsciously rose to pull him closer as he sank into the kiss. Then, with a jolt, he pushed him away, gasping.

"W-what are you doing!?" Shintarou shouted, sputtering and blushing.

"Kissing you. No good...?"

"No, that's not the problem-"

"Then what's the problem?" Kazunari cocked his head to the side.

"What about your 'special person' that you mentioned? If we're caught there will be a terrible misunderstanding to clear up!"

"Huh...? Oh! You're talking about what I said when I was talking about dedicating my songs? My 'special person' refers to you."

"Wha- Don't say it like that or I'll misunderstand!" Shintarou took a step back and Kazunari countered with a step forward.

"You aren't misunderstanding. I love you, Shin-chan. I always have. It was my main purpose to why I left you: because I didn't think I could hold in my feelings for any longer." Kazunari backed Shintarou against the wall, trapping him.

"But-"

"All of my songs were written with you in mind. They're all dedicated to you. I never thought you would hear my music so I dumped all of my feelings into it. My songs are overflowing with my love for you."

"H-how could you say such embarrassing things!?" Shintarou's face darkened even further and he attempted to cover it with a hand.

"You said some pretty embarrassing things earlier too." Kazunari's lips stretched into his familiar signature grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shintarou pouted, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Hey, Shin-chan," Kazunari called.

"What is it, Takao?" Shintarou replied, eyes remaining averted.

"If I asked you to be my boyfriend, what would you say?"

Shintarou stared at him, jaw dropped, for several seconds before finally looking away and stammering, "D-do you even have to ask, i-idiot!?"

Kazunari laughed and pulled Shintarou down into another kiss. Though hesitantly, Shintarou reciprocated, timidly kissing back. Kazunari pulled back at just a hair distance to whisper, "I love you, Shin-chan," before kissing him again with all he was worth.

Breathlessly, Shintarou mumbled, "Me too, Kazunari," and pressed his forehead to his, their lips remaining so close that they brushed against each other when he spoke.

Unbeknownst to them both, the rain outside had finally stopped and a rainbow extended across the sky.

* * *

**What are conclusions? What are titles? What is writing? I don't know.**

**Here's another that I wrote on my phone, then went back to edit on my computer. I apologize for any errors you may have caught. I have this bad habit of switching from past tense to present tense so hopefully I caught all the times I did that…**

**I was inspired to write this when I listened to OLDCODEX's Catal Rhythm (which, as I'm sure many of you are aware, is sung by Takao's voice actor). Although I like the headcanon that Takao becomes a nurse in the future, I also like the idea that he forms a band and becomes the lead singer.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you liked it!**


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